After a series of three closed meetings held over the past couple of weeks, the Lake Park-Audubon Board of Education took action Wednesday to terminate the contract of community education director Deborah Brakefield, “effective immediately.”
By roll call vote, the board voted unanimously in favor of the motion to terminate Brakefield’s contract, due to alleged “employee misconduct.”
Though LP-A Superintendent Dale Hogie declined a request to comment on the allegations “at this time,” Brakefield has categorically denied any wrongdoing.
“I don’t like to be accused of something I didn’t do,” Brakefield said in a Friday morning interview.
Brakefield added that the allegations against her were based on a claim that there were some days that she did not work in February, but put the hours on her time sheet.
She said the claim was completely untrue, and indicated that she intended to fight the allegations.
“We (Brakefield and her legal counsel) will be looking into this matter,” she said, adding that she felt the board had reached its decision with insufficient evidence, based on false allegations made by another staff member.
Brakefield said she also felt the decision should have been made by a third, neutral party, due to the fact that she had served on the school board in the past, with some of the same members who were involved in making Wednesday’s decision.
“There’s a lot of history there,” she said.
Follow DL Newspapers reporter Vicki Gerdes on Twitter at @VickiLGerdes.
